A year ago, Hurricane, or Superstorm, Sandy and all her wrath took aim at the Northeast, affecting millions of people and thousands of businesses. Acqua at Peck Slip, located down off Manhattan’s Seaport, was one of many restaurants that suffered severe flooding and extensive damages. Unlike some of their less fortunate counterparts in the neighborhood, Acqua at Peck Slip was able to reopen quickly and continues to thrive a year later, despite losses due to Sandy and continuing challenges in the area. We spoke with General Manager Niki Berti, who reflected on the damage, rebuilding, and being back in business at Acqua at Peck Slip.

There was a bit of warning before the storm. Remind me, what steps did you and your staff take to prepare?

We did everything. We taped the windows and bought sandbags to put in the front, and, obviously, that was useless. The hurricane started, and water started flowing — from the sewers, from sinks, from drain holes, from the toilet. Eventually, the river overflowed, so no matter what we would have done, it would have been really bad.

Before it was a street, Peck Slip was a boat slip (Ed. Note: It was filled in in the mid-1800’s.), and we are now on a landfill. A block west is Water Street, where the water once started. It’s kind of ironic then that the water stopped at Water Street. It took back what we took from it.

The damages were extensive.

The basement was fully flooded, and we had a lot of food and wine that was lost, about $30,000 worth. Then, all the equipment and fixtures – fridges, ice boxes, freezers, the stereo, computers, ipads, ipods, POS system — were gone. The bar. The electrical system. That was the water line (see photo below).

The water line in the dining room at Acqua is a reminder of how severe the damage was.

The water line in the dining room at Acqua is a reminder of how severe the damage was.

The construction around Acqua at Peck Slip.

The construction around Acqua at Peck Slip.

The DOT project outside Acqua is expected to last 2-3 years.

The DOT project outside Acqua is expected to last 2-3 years.

From certain angles, these signs are all one can see of several businesses, including Acqua.

From certain angles, these signs are all one can see of several businesses, including Acqua.

The DOT project on Peck Slip inconveniences many businesses.

The DOT project on Peck Slip inconveniences many businesses.

Business is bustling inside Acqua at Peck Slip despite the construction outside.

Business is bustling inside Acqua at Peck Slip despite the construction outside.

What was the recovery process like?

When we were first here after the storm, there were no lights, no electricity. The smell of mildew was terrible. But, we were very, very lucky. The staff helped us demolish the place. We had a company come in and bio-clean it, because this was filled with sewer water. So, everything was completely disinfected. Next, the City came to measure and do whatever they had to do. Finally, we could go on and rebuild.

A lot of the businesses that were destroyed were owned by corporations, and that meant that they were waiting on insurance money to come through before they started rebuilding. A year after Sandy, those businesses are now finally starting to reopen. In that way, our landlord on that way was very helpful. He said, “Just build.”

What was working with the City like? And how about finding the funds to reopen?

The City was very helpful because they were able to grant us loans at a low interest rate. We also have to thank Goldman Sachs for that, I must say. They gave us a lot of loans. Also, thanks to NYC Business Solutions and Robert Walsh, who gave us $35,000 in grants. It’s still a fraction of everything, but it is very helpful.

And, with what I thought was an extremely generous and smart social rebuilding campaign, you raised funds, offering folks who donated a gift certificate for the amount they gave. How successful was that?

A lot of restaurants were asking for money, but we didn’t want to just ask for money outright from customers, so we thought this was a good way to reach out to the folks who knew us, liked us, and wanted us to come back. For customers and friends who pitched in, those donations became gift certificates. Some diners didn’t even want to redeem them. One customer donated $500 and insisted he didn’t even want a gift certificate. With 144 people giving, we wound up raising close to $7,000.

You’d set an initial goal to open within 30 days. Did you meet that?

We opened five weeks and four days after the storm.

Were you able to hold on to your staff while you were rebuilding?

We were able to keep all the staff, except two.

How did the ongoing perception about the Seaport area being so damaged hurt or help you in the months after reopening?

The damage to Acqua is extensive, but they are working to reopen every day.

Restaurant Name:Acqua at Peck SlipLocation: Lower Manhattan, New YorkYears in Business: SevenStatus: Closed and actively working to reopen by November 20, 2012.Damage: Major flooding and property damage.Losses: Possibly 30 days of service; loss of most equipment and foodManager: Daria Spieler

Prior to Sandy, had you ever had to deal with a disaster situation at this or any restaurant?

“This is the first one we’ve really dealt with. When Irene was here, it wasn’t a problem. We didn’t have water come anywhere near us. This time, we got hit very hard; the whole downtown area is in a bad situation.”

When did you shut the doors to prepare for the storm?

“We closed after Saturday lunch service. Then, we then prepped for the storm, taped the windows, and so on. None of our precautions helped. Neighboring restaurants had their windows boarded, but that didn’t help either. We thought that there would be some water damage, but we could not imagine it would be so much. We had over five feet of water in the restaurant.”

Post-Sandy clean up will require almost round-the-clock work.

What have your post-Sandy reopening efforts entailed?

“We made our way back down to the restaurant on Tuesday morning. We assessed what happened, but even later Tuesday, we could not enter the basement. The water was literally up to the ceiling.”

Can you elaborate on the damage you’re dealing with?

“More than five feet of water poured into the restaurant, completely flooding the basement and damaging everything in it, as well as parts of the restaurant. We just finished pumping out the water, cleaning up, and we’re now trying to see if there was anything that can be saved. Equipment on the main floor of the restaurant has been damaged, too. Refrigerators. POS systems. The OpenTable system didn’t survive. We got the news today that most of downtown Manhattan’s power will be restored by Saturday, but our building is not going to be one of them because the flooding was too severe. The power lines will need more work, so best case scenario is power in a week, worst case is two weeks.”

What are some of the biggest challenges you’re facing now?

“Raising money. Some restaurants are lucky enough to have a little financial back-up, but the City of New York has been doing construction directly in front of us for some time now, and it has hurt our business and sales have been down. We have reached out to FEMA and the City of New York, of course. There are loans available, and we are working to secure them, but there are thousands of applications and it will take time. One of the loans is for $10,000, which will not cover even a small part of the repairs we must do to reopen. Still, anything will help!”

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Caroline Potter

Caroline Potter is the Chief Dining Officer for OpenTable, Inc. She’s a dining trend-spotter and an OpenTable VIP, who dines out more than she eats in and has accrued more than 10,000 Dining Rewards points. Caroline started working in restaurants as a teen and she's since tackled every front-of-the-house job, from bartender and hostess to runner and server. She trained as a chef at Manhattan’s prestigious French Culinary Institute, cooking at L’Ecole. In addition to her role at OpenTable, she has written about food from farm to table for New York City’s famed Greenmarket and Edible Brooklyn and Edible East End magazines. Caroline is also a Certified Master Gardener.